The train was moving at full speed. The wind howled, yet Jack and Hashira Rengoku walked steadily atop the roof, Akaza in front of them, smiling coldly as if he knew everything. The passengers inside were distant and protected as much as possible, but every second was a threat to them. Rengoku stood next to Jack, their eyes fixed on Akaza, watching every movement, ready for anything.
Inosuke and Zenitsu heard the sounds on top of the train and rushed to climb up quickly to see what was happening. The moment they reached the roof, Rengoku shouted with all his strength and authority:
“Zenitsu, Inosuke, do not intervene! Your mission is to protect the passengers—stay away from the fight!”
Zenitsu trembled but did not argue:
“But… will we just stand here and do nothing?”
Rengoku smiled calmly:
“The passengers are more important than any battle. Your task is to survive. Stay back and protect them.”
Inosuke immediately moved to the edge of the train, keeping an eye on the passengers and ready for any threat, knowing this battle was not his to fight this time. Jack looked at Rengoku and said:
“Are you sure, Hashira? I won’t leave your side—I’ll fight with you.”
Rengoku replied firmly:
“Listen, he’s extremely strong. He’s Upper Moon Three. It’s fine if you fight alongside me, but we must protect the passengers first and prolong the fight until sunrise. If we want to keep the innocent safe, there’s no choice but to fight until our st breath.”
Jack took a deep breath:
“Hashira, this time I’ll fight with you, not just watch. I’ll fight even if it costs me my life. There’s no room for mistakes.”
Then he looked into Akaza’s eyes and said:
“This time, I won’t let you kill anyone.”
Akaza stood before them, his cold and provoking smile unwavering, and began to step toward them. Without a word, he unched his attack first—fast, precise, calcuted. Jack moved his sword with speed and began to fight as he never had before. His speed might not match that of Upper Moon Three or Rengoku, but he was far stronger than before.
Rengoku didn’t wait long; he advanced swiftly and shouted with force:
“Fme Dance – 14th Form: Sun Extinguish!”
The strike unched at incredible speed, fmes swirling around his sword, power concentrated. His blow hit Akaza and pushed him back—but it didn’t st long. Akaza countered, saying:
“Do you think this cheap trick can stop me? Blood Burst – Upper Moon Strike!”
The attack was swift, unpredictable. In a fsh, it struck Jack in the eye. He was knocked back but didn’t fall. He pced his hand on the bloodied eye, checked it carefully—his eye was gone. Yes, Jack had lost his eye, but he did not hesitate. He raised his sword again and shouted with full force:
“This won’t stop me, bastard. This time, it’s the end for you!”
Rengoku looked at Jack, eyes filled with silent resolve, and said:
“Tanjiro, don’t rush. Stay still. Focus on the fight.”
At that moment, Rengoku realized that they could not match Akaza’s strength. Akaza wasn’t using his full power, yet he forced them to use everything they had. Rengoku observed everything and said quietly to Jack:
“The passengers are safe, but every second here brings disaster closer. If the fight continues on this roof, everyone will die.”
Jack asked in astonishment:
“So what should we do, Hashira?”
Rengoku pointed his sword toward Akaza:
“Let’s combine our strikes and make him fall from the train. We have to push him as far away from here as possible.”
Rengoku took a deep breath, eyes never leaving Akaza. He knew that a normal battle against Akaza would not work. This wasn’t just a fight—it was a single moment where everything depended on them. It was a matter of life and death.
Akaza fought seriously, charging toward Rengoku at lightning speed. Their battle was faster than lightning. Jack watched, trying to find a gap to strike Akaza away from the train. Then, in a moment, he found it—it was there… on Akaza’s back.
Jack unched himself at full speed, rushing between them, shocking Akaza and Rengoku with his speed. In front of their eyes, Jack took a deep breath and unleashed his strongest strike:
“Hinokami Kagura – 12th Form: Sor Halo!”
Akaza thought the strike was aimed at his neck, but it was a surprise. The sword flipped behind him with lightning speed. He tried to spin and block it, but in that moment, Rengoku grabbed him by the arms and struck him hard. Akaza, Rengoku, and Jack all fell back. Their strength was drained, and they nded on the roof, gasping.
Akaza rose quickly, furious, and said:
“How can a weak wretch like you hit me? You’ll regret this—you’ll both regret it, you pathetic weaklings!”
Akaza charged at Jack with a blow that could end everything, a powerful strike aimed at his chest. Jack could not block it—but then, in that instant:
“United Fme – Final Strike!”
Rengoku’s blow severed Akaza’s arms. Akaza reached the peak of his rage, screaming with all his strength. In that instant, his arms healed, and he dashed toward Rengoku, delivering a swift strike that cut Rengoku’s left arm.
Rengoku’s wound wouldn’t heal like Akaza’s. Demons had privileges, and that created a clear disparity. That disparity made Rengoku realize that the fight would ultimately go toward Akaza, and that they could die, killing all the passengers. He had to make a final decision.
Rengoku smiled calmly, confusing Akaza:
“How can you ugh, fool, after losing your arm?”
Rengoku looked at Jack and said:
“Tanjiro, listen carefully. Go to your friends and protect the passengers. What I am about to do now will be the end of this fight.”
Jack looked at Rengoku in surprise:
“I won’t leave you here alone. We’ll fight together.”
Rengoku responded firmly:
“Don’t you get it yet, boy? If this fight continues, our end is inevitable. That’s why I have to finish everything here.”
Jack fell silent, tears filling his eyes, and said:
“What do you mean, Hashira? What are you pnning?”
Rengoku stood one st time, his hand bleeding heavily, and shouted:
“Move away now!”
Jack looked at him, then rose and quickly went toward the train. He wasn’t convinced to let Rengoku fight alone, but he decided to follow his advice. At that moment, an inner voice whispered:
“Is this who you are? Is this how you decided to change things, to let Rengoku die again while you can do nothing?”
Those words made Jack turn back to the fight and say to himself:
“That’s right. I came to this world to change the future, not to run. I am the one who will change everything.”
As he returned and approached the battlefield, he heard something from Rengoku Kyojuro that he had never heard before:
“Fme Dance – 17th Form: Sun of the End”
A strike gathering all the power of Rengoku’s Fme Breathing in a single moment. A strike never mentioned before, unknown to anyone. A forbidden strike in the history of all Fme Hashira, creating a massive circle with a radius of about 200 meters around him. Everything in that radius dies—whether a corps member or a demon. A suicidal strike that destroys everyone within the circle, even the user.
Rengoku grabbed Akaza with one hand, sword embedded in him. Akaza screamed violently, trying to escape. He succeeded, attempting to flee the circle. Once he left it, with his mocking smile, he said:
“You’re strong, Kyojuro. I admit it—but today, you’ll die alone.”
Suddenly:
“Water Breathing – 11th Form: Super Wave”
Akaza spun quickly to avoid the strike, but Jack’s distraction had left a huge opening. The strike hit him hard, knocking him down, and consumed all of Jack’s energy as he fell inside the circle.
The strike unched. There was no excessive light, no huge explosion—just concentrated force, one decisive action.
The three fell: Rengoku, Jack, and Akaza.
Rengoku smiled proudly at Jack. Jack looked at Akaza:
“Didn’t I tell you your end would come today, you bastard?”
Akaza gred furiously. The passengers, Inosuke, and Zenitsu were terrified at what they saw. Nezuko tried to intervene, tears in her eyes, but Zenitsu held her back.
The silence after the colpse was terrifying. No screams, no noise—only the wind whistling. The passengers watched the scene of an extraordinary sacrifice by a great leader…